Pokémon Movie Collection (DVD)

Collection of animated features based on the Pokémon characters created by Satoshi Tajiri. 'Pokémon: The First Movie' (1998) is set in modern-day Japan as Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum (voice of Veronica Taylor) and his pet monster Pikachu (Ikue Otani) set off for a championship contest on New Island, hoping to qualify for a bout with the world's greatest Pokémon master. However, the tournament is in fact a fake, set up by Mewtwo (Philip Bartlett), an evil and powerful Pokémon clone, who intends to use his psychic abilities to turn all the Pokémon in the world against their masters. In 'Pokémon: The Movie 2000' (1999) unscrupulous collector Lawrence III (Neil Stewart) is determined to add Moltres (Rikako Aikawa), Zapdos (Katsuyuki Konishi) and Articuno (Yumi Tôma) - the three largest Pokémon - to his hoard, and in so doing calls upon the legendary undersea creature Lugia (Koichi Yamadera). The abduction of Moltres has a devastating effect on Earth's weather systems, with the result of Ash and his friends finding themselves stranded on Shamouti Island after a typhoon. There, Ash is claimed by the natives as The Chosen One - a being who can restore order by uniting three spheres in the local temple. With the aid of his Pokémon and rival trainers on Team Rocket, Ash sets about foiling Lawrence III's evil scheme. Finally, in 'Pokémon 3 - The Movie' (2000), archaeologist Professor Hale (Dan Green) is hard at work studying ancient Pokémon when he stumbles across a strange unknown strain of pocket monsters which have the ability to give life to people's fantasies. Professor Hale's daughter Molly (Amy Birnbaum) then gets hold of these pocket monsters, but they unleash terrible creatures from her imagination; creatures which kidnap Molly's mother and wreak havoc upon the surrounding area. The only man who can restore the situation is Ash Ketchum, and it's not long before he leaps into action, ready to recapture the beasts and teach Molly about the dangers of pocket monsters.